Outlaws
by Sapphire5
Summary: Finished. Series #3
1. Dr Malloy's Project

Disclaimer: All characters affiliated with JQ: TRA are owned by Hanna Barbara. No infringements of copyrights are intended. This is a work of fiction written by a fan for other fans' enjoyment. No money was made off of this fan fiction.

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Warnings: Overall Rating of PG. Contains mild language, and some mature themes, and mild violence. (Honestly, there isn't anything worse than what you might find in a Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys mystery.)

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A Note From the Author: While Wells Fargo, Jesse James, and the James Younger Gang existed in reality, this story uses them fictitiously both as historic icons and modern entities. The name Wells Fargoä has been used without permission to provide a sense of historical authenticity. The use of the historical outlaws is in no way meant to offend living descendents, but rather as a tribute to their lasting infamy. ~Sapphire

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The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest

Outlaws

By: Sapphire

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Chapter One: Dr. Malloy's Project

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…...

June 2000

Location: Quest Compound, Maine

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Dr. Quest waved Jonny into his study with a hurried gesture as he listened to the voice of an old friend over the telephone. Jonny stepped into the room and shut the door silently behind him. He approached the desk and stood patiently for his father to finish up with his phone call.

"Yes, yes, Rueben. That is quite some project," Dr. Quest said into the phone. He waited while the voice on the other end said something. "Indeed, I find it quite interesting myself," Dr. Quest said. Again, he listened to the voice on the other end. "I don't really know if I can be of any assistance."

Jonny had only come to ask if he could use one of the cars to meet some friends in Rockport, but now he was completely interested in whatever it was his father was discussing over the phone. He watched his father carefully as the older man's facial expressions changed according to what he was hearing from the person on the other end of the line.

"Well, I'd love to, but-" Dr. Quest said. He stopped as the voice on the other end began to talk again. "When you put it that way, Rueben, I don't see how I can refuse the invitation." Jonny watched his father closely for signs of annoyance. There were none. "All right. I'll see you on Thursday when we get to Kansas. Good-bye." Dr. Quest hung up the phone.

"What was that all about?" Jonny asked. His father looked up at him from his desk chair.

"My old friend from college, Dr. Reuben Malloy, has an ambitious new project underway. He called to consult me on a few things and ended up inviting me out to help him in his endeavor. I haven't seen Rueben in years, and this project of his has me intrigued. I've decided to go out and see what I can do, and I think you, Hadji, Maggie, and Jessie might want to tag along," Dr. Quest said.

"Well, what is it?" Jonny asked curiously.

"Rueben is an historian and a particular subject of interest to him is the famous outlaw Jesse James and the exploits of the James Younger Gang. The town he grew up in was the setting for one of their unknown train robberies. The James Younger Gang was officially unsuccessful in the robbery, however, local lore says they made off with quite a haul and hid the loot in some well known caves outside town, intending to go back for it. They never did. I thought we could go on a treasure hunt and see if we can't help Rueben prove those stories," Dr. Quest said. "Even if nothing comes of it, the town is having it's annual Jesse James festival, complete with a reenacted train robbery. Apparently the whole town turns out for the event, and Rueben says it's a sight to see."

"Slammin'!" Jonny exclaimed. "Wild West, here we come."

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…...

Location: Malloy Farm, Holder Spring, Kansas

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"Welcome to the Malloy farm!" Rueben Malloy greeted cheerfully as Dr. Quest, Race, and the kids all climbed out of the van. Bandit jumped down out of the vehicle and stretched his legs before taking his place next to Jonny.

"Rueben! How good to see you," Dr. Quest replied, shaking the man's hand vigorously. "The kids are looking forward to the festival as much as the treasure hunting." Dr. Quest looked his old friend over. He had salt and pepper hair and steel gray eyes. He was of medium height and he had obviously gained weight since his youth, but his friendly smile and warm greeting were still the same.

"Oh, they'll have plenty to do around here. My sister, Mary Wallace, runs this place. She and my niece, Anne, will make all of you feel right at home, and they'll probably put you to work if they think you're idle." He chuckled to himself, obviously amused by his relations. "Why don't you come in, bring your things, and you can meet them. They'll get you settled in your rooms, and then lunch will be on the table. I thought you'd want to get right to the caves."

"Slammin'!" Jonny exclaimed. "Hidden treasure, here we come."

"I thought so," Dr. Malloy laughed heartily at Jonny's enthusiasm. "Mary will be pleased to see this house full again. She and I have ten other siblings, you know, and without the twelve of us crowding in, the house seems empty." Rueben Malloy led the way up onto the veranda to the house. The farmhouse was huge, but it hadn't always been so. The original house could be easily seen, flanked by at least three separate additions made over the years.

"Rueben," a short, matronly woman with sandy hair and brown eyes said as she came out of the house through a screened door. "You should have told me your guests were here!"

"I'm sorry, Mary. I thought you would have heard their car in the drive," Rueben replied.

"Howard was talking my head off as usual. Can't hear a thing when he's jawin' at you," Mary said. She turned to the guests. "Now, come on in. You can all call me Mary. Dr. Quest, Mr. Bannon, your rooms are at the back of the house. The girls are upstairs, and the boys are in the attic room. Anne's upstairs right now, so if you bring your things up, she can show you exactly where to go. We'll have lunch in fifteen minutes. Don't be late. Dr. Quest, Mr. Bannon, follow me, please." Race and Dr. Quest followed Mary while Jonny headed up the stairs followed by Jessie, Hadji, and Maggie. Bandit made it a point to get under foot as they hauled their gear upward.

"Hello!" Jonny called out when he reached the top of the stairs. "Anne, are you up here?" There was no answer for a moment, then a door opened and a teenaged girl with short, curly, strawberry blond hair and gray eyes emerged. Jessie was the shortest of the group, but this girl was even shorter than her by more than an inch.

"Hi, I'm Anne," she said. Her voice was pleasant, and more than welcoming to the newcomers. "You all must be my uncle's guests."

"Yes, indeed," Hadji said with a bright smile. "I am Hadji Singh. This is my brother, Jonny Quest. Our cousin, Maggie Hardy, and our best friend, Jessie Bannon. I am pleased to meet you, Miss Wallace." Anne smiled back.

"Nice to meet you. I'm sure all of you want to get settled before lunch. Hadji, you and Jonny will share the room at the top of those stairs." She pointed to a narrow staircase to the left of the main stairs. "I opened all the windows, and there's a nice breeze blowing through. Jessie and Maggie will share a room at the end of the hall." Jonny and Hadji began lugging their stuff up another flight of stairs. Maggie and Jessie followed Anne.

"Here it is," Anne said as she held the door open for the girls. "I hope you like it." Inside were two twin beds, each against opposite walls. There was a desk between them under the window, and there was a dresser on the wall adjacent to the door. A gilt framed mirror hung above it. The walls were painted in green, and there were white lace curtains over the window. Old hook rugs covered the hard wood floors. Both girls thought it was rather homey.

"This is great," Maggie said. "I love it."

"It beats a hotel," Jessie had to agree.

"I'm glad," Anne said sitting down on one of the beds while the girls went about unpacking.

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…...

"Here are the caverns that have previously been explored," Dr. Malloy told the Quest Team as he pointed to a map. Lunch had been a quick affair, and the caves weren't far from the farmhouse. Equipment had been a breeze to set up, everything was ready to go in the van, a sort of portable base of operations. Everyone was gathered around a folding table spread with various maps of the cave system as Dr. Malloy familiarized them with the lay of the underground system. "No previous team has found anything in them, and they've been picked over plenty of times. If the money was there, it would have been found by now. My guess is, the money is in one of the side chambers, possibly one that is still unknown."

"This will be cake," Jonny commented.

"We'll see," Dr. Malloy said knowingly. "Many have gone looking, none have been successful. The Jameses and Youngers knew what they were about."

"Here's what we'll do today," Dr. Quest said, taking over. "Two teams of two will go down into the cave. The objective is to become familiar with the main lay of the cavern system. We won't go looking for the loot in earnest until tomorrow morning."

"Hadji, you and Jessie are one team, and Jonny, you and I are the other," Race instructed.

"Right," the three of them said in unison.

"Maggie, you head up communications. Dr. Malloy will track both teams as they move underground. Dr. Quest will be monitoring conditions both above and under ground," Race finished.

"Got it," Maggie said as she stepped over to the van to get the communications headsets.

"Make sure Race gets his headset first," Dr. Quest called to her. "He has to go down and set up the sensor equipment."

"Right," Maggie said, handing Race a headset. They tested it to make sure it was working, then Race got ready to descend into the hole that was the mouth of the cave. Hooked into a harness, ropes were clipped to him, and he dangled over the hole, suspended by a pulley system rigged over the cave opening. Hadji and Jonny slowly let him down into the dark cave below. Once Race reached the bottom thirty feet down, Jessie and Maggie lowered the sensory equipment Dr. Quest needed installed below.

"We'll get you into the cave tomorrow," Jonny told Maggie when he saw her take a longing glance at the cave's entrance.

"You know my dad," Jessie added. "He doesn't want a beginner down there until he knows what we're in for."

"A necessary precaution," Hadji said. "One that I happen to agree with."

"I'm not complaining," Maggie said with a wave of her hand. "I'm content just being your communications lifeline. Believe me, I don't take this job lightly."

"No, you do not," Hadji agreed.

"I can be patient until my turn to go down," Maggie said. "I won't be content being the lifeline forever, though." Hadji, Jessie, and Jonny all laughed.

"Are you kids ready?" Dr. Quest called over.

"Are we?!" Jonny exclaimed, bounding over to the cave entrance. "How's it looking, Race?" he asked into the comm device.

"It's about a thirty foot decent to the floor of the main chamber," Race's voice said over the communications headset. "All the monitoring equipment is up and going, Doc."

"Temperature is 57 degrees Fahrenheit down there," Dr. Quest said. "There is a .03 mile an hour air current, and no detectable amounts of harmful gasses to be wary of." Maggie watched him take readings from an array of instruments. "Seismic activity is normal. Iris has a monitor on your communications headsets for backup if something goes out." Dr. Quest turned to Dr. Malloy. "Is the grid functioning properly?" Maggie looked at the grid screen in the back of the Quest van. Several dots of different colors were hovering in a cluster.

"The homing devices are working properly with the 3D grid," Dr. Malloy said. "This equipment is fantastic. I've never had such a hi-tech expedition."

"We're ready to send everyone down," Dr. Quest told Maggie.

"Race," Maggie said into her comm set. "We're ready for go up here." There was a bit of static before Race replied.

"Send 'em down," Race said. "I want Hadji first. Jonny second and Jessie last."

"Copy," Maggie sent back before going to help harness Hadji to the pulley system.

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…...

From the main cavern, the cave system of Buffalo Caves branched out in two directions. One branch went to the north, and the other branch ran to the west. Race and Jonny took the north branch, and Hadji and Jessie took the west. Both teams kept up a steady report to Maggie as they went.

"Dr. Malloy says there is a series of three big caverns more or less directly north of your position," Maggie relayed to Race and Jonny. "By big he means the size of the kitchen back at the farm." They acknowledged. "He says to go through all three. Stop in the third cavern." Maggie switched the comm link to Hadji and Jessie's frequency the moment she got their copy.

"Maggie, we have come upon a very narrow tunnel," Hadji said.

"Dr. Malloy says you'll have to crawl through. It gets tight, so you'll have to get onto your stomachs." Maggie heard their groans of protest as she switched the comm frequency back to Jonny and Race.

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…...

"Great," Jessie said as she pulled herself along flat on her stomach.

"I know what you mean," Hadji sympathized, inching his way behind her. "Is Dr. Malloy sure that this tunnel is passable?"

"I don't know," Jessie replied. She pressed the button on her head set to signal Maggie.

"I heard," Maggie's voice came over the headsets. "Dr. Malloy says he's sure. He's done it himself."

"Recently?" Hadji asked, thinking of the bulky historian.

"About ten years ago," Maggie replied.

"Was he a lot thinner then?" Jessie demanded. "I can see the tight spot now. I don't think he'd be able to squeeze through anymore." Laughter came over the headset.

"Will we be able to pass by, Jessie?" Hadji asked, trying to see beyond her. She pulled herself forward a few inches before answering.

"I know I can," Jessie answered. "I think if you squeeze, you'll make it."

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…...

"We're in the third room," Race checked in with Maggie.

"Dr. Malloy says there is a small opening in the northeast corner of the third room," Maggie told him. "The hole is about three feet in diameter. That's where you need to go."

"Looks like fun," Jonny said. "We're looking through the opening right now." He took his head lamp and played it over the stone surfaces of the space beyond the opening. "There are three other passages leading from it."

"Confirmed," Maggie said. "That's the one. You'll have to explore all three. Dr. Malloy isn't sure which two dead end and which keeps going."

"We'll use the reflectors to mark where we've been," Race said to Jonny.

"So the fun begins," Jonny said with a glint in his eye.

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…...

"We're through the tunnel," Jessie reported.

"You two had me worried for a minute there," Maggie replied.

"If Jonny attempted to navigate this tunnel, he would only accomplish getting himself lodged between the ceiling and the floor," Hadji said. "I am surprised I was able to squeeze through."

"Good to know," Maggie said. "We won't be sending Jonny or Race down that way, then." There was a pause before she resumed speaking. "Off the next room there is one passage and one room. They each wind through a series of rooms and tunnels before they meet up again."

"Which path are we to take?" asked Hadji.

"Take the tunnel," Maggie said. "There is less crawling if you go that route than if you go the other way, according to Dr. Malloy and his maps. He also says these areas have been mapped, but no one has searched them for the loot."

"Right," Jessie and Hadji replied in unison.

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…...

"Jonny, Race, how are you doing?" Maggie's voice came over the headsets as Race was staring at a missing section of the cave floor.

"Not good," he replied into the headset. "Is there a gaping hole marked anywhere on that map?"

"Not that I know of..." she trailed off.

"Will you warn Jess and Hadji about bottomless pits for me, then?"

"Bottomless pits?" Maggie sounded incredulous. There was a pause. "Dr. Malloy says there isn't anything like that shown on the map. He thinks you must be in an unmapped room."

"Great," Race said. "Should we try and cross it? There's another cavern opening on the other side."

"Race?" Dr. Quest's voice cut in on the comm system. "It's getting late. Why don't you stop there and head back. We can decide what to do about that pit topside."

"Copy," Race replied.

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…...

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To be continued…

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	2. Buffalo Cave

Disclaimer: Please see chapter one.

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Warnings: Overall Rating of PG.

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A Note From the Author: So here ends my first posting of the third installment of my Jonny Quest arc. Yes, it's been a while since I posted, but then, I haven't had internet access in a year! But I have been cleaning up my work, and doing a quick writing job to finish mostly-completed stories in this arc. And then, there is my main project which takes up most of my time. Anyway, enjoy! ~Sapphire

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The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest

Outlaws

By: Sapphire

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Chapter Two: Buffalo Cave

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…...

Getting everyone back to the main cavern took considerably less time than getting them out into the passages. The four explorers scrambled out of their gear the moment they surfaced, and everything was packed up, the site cleaned up, in no time. A 'Do Not Enter' sign was posted on the pulley at the cave's entrance before they piled into the vehicles and headed back to the farm. A hot supper was ready and waiting for them when they arrived. The group crowded around the large dining table and dug in hungrily.

"Are you kids excited for the Jesse James Days festivities?" Mary asked. "I expect my brother told your uncle about it. The festival kicks off tomorrow."

"Yeah, my dad mentioned it," Jonny said. "I hope we can fit some of that in between treasure hunting."

"You'll have to," Anne said. "Everyone goes all out during Jesse James Days. Horse races, picnics, a dance, and the train robbery, of course. The whole town turns out for that. We hire actors from the college over in Aimsville for the enactment. The whole festival is like being back in 1874."

"Local politicians make old fashioned soap box speeches. The ladies auxiliary puts on a craft sale. My favorite, though, is the old time root beer and home made ice cream," Dr. Malloy put in.

"I'm racing tomorrow in the horse races," Anne said, excitement dancing in her eyes. "Will you all come and watch?"

"Of course we will," Dr. Quest agreed. "It should be fun."

"I bet if Jonny entered, he wouldn't know how to make a horse go," Jessie teased. "They don't come with engines, ignitions, and keys."

"Is that a challenge?" Jonny demanded.

"Cut it out, you two," Race interrupted the argument before it had the chance to really get going.

"Registration was closed this afternoon," Anne said sympathetically. "You won't be able to race. You could ride one of our horses into town, though, if Mom says it's okay." Mary nodded.

"You're welcome to it. Those lazy bones need exercise. Mr. Crossley, our trainer, doesn't have time to do it all himself, and we don't have the funds to hire an assistant yet."

After supper was finished, Maggie and Jessie volunteered to help Mary and Anne with the clean-up detail.

"You are going to have so much fun," Anne said to Maggie and Jessie as they washed, dried, and put the dishes away. "Mom made me a new costume this year. I can't wait to show it to you."

"You're going in costume?" Jessie asked.

"Everyone does," Anne shrugged. Then she looked at both girls seriously. "Don't you have costumes to wear?" Maggie and Jessie shook their heads.

"We didn't know we had to. But it isn't a big deal, is it?" Jessie asked. "Of course the actors would dress up, but I can't imagine everyone dressing vintage for the festival."

"But everyone _does_," Anne replied. "I suppose Uncle Rueben forgot to say so to Dr. Quest."

"Typical," Mary snorted in disgust. "That brother of mine never could remember where the end of his nose was."

"Do we have to have costumes?" Jessie asked.

"No, but if you aren't in costume you feel kind of left out and out of place," Anne answered. "You'll see what I mean tomorrow."

"I don't suppose you have extra costumes?" Jessie asked. Mary burst out laughing.

"Didn't Rueben tell you? He and I have ten other siblings. We have boxes of costumes- in all sizes. You're welcome to ransack the attic and use what you like." Maggie, Jessie, and Anne looked to each other excitedly. "Go on, I'll finish here. You girls go have a good rummage."

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…...

"Where's the fire?" Jonny joked as the three girls came running up the wooden stairs to the attic.

"We're on a mission," Maggie replied as Anne slid open a panel in the wall. On the other side was the storage space of the attic. She, Maggie, and Jessie filed in. Maggie turned to peer out the doorway to her cousins. "You might want to join us."

"Coming Hadj?" Jonny called as he jumped up from his bed and followed the girls. Hadji shrugged and followed after him. Anne found the old pull string for the light and turned it on. A dim glow bathed the attic. The space was filled with odd pieces of furniture, knickknacks, trunks, and boxes off all shapes and sizes. Anne walked over to the nearest trunk, unlatched the closure, and lifted the lid.

"This one's full of boy's clothes," Anne said. She looked up at Jonny and Hadji. "Uncle Rueben forgot to tell Dr. Quest about the costumes. You don't have to, but you'll feel more comfortable if you look like you lived here 120 years ago, just like the rest of us."

"No one told me I'd have to play dress up," Jonny said waving a finger at Anne and the open trunk.

"We're not playing dress up," Jessie scoffed, "This is a tradition. Besides, it's no different than wearing a costume for Halloween."

"It's June, not October," Jonny argued.

"Suit yourself, Hotshot," Jessie scoffed. "Just don't be surprised when they laugh at you tomorrow." Anne opened a second trunk.

"Here we go," she said. "Have at it." Maggie and Jessie started to go through all the costumes in the old trunk, and then started in on a second trunk Anne had located. Jonny and Hadji watched the girls for a while as they sorted and sifted. "Try a hat, at least," Anne said, tossing Hadji a black cowboy hat. Hadji caught it and put it on. Anne smiled appreciatively. "You look good in that," she said. Jessie threw a pair of big red clown shoes at Jonny.

"I think that would look good on you," she said.

"I don't think so, Ace," Jonny shot back. "You won't make a clown out of me."

"I don't have to. You already are, Hotshot," Jessie quipped. She tossed a cowboy hat at him this time. "Quit being a spoil-sport and have some fun." Jonny knew the olive branch of peace when it was extended. He wasn't going to reject it. With a sigh, he went to the chest filled with men's attire and started digging through it with Hadji's help.

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…...

Maggie sat with a laptop propped on her knees in bed. Jessie was asleep in the bed opposite hers. Lines of text scrolled on screen as she chatted with her brother through a satellite link connecting with Iris and the Questworld Mainframe. Suddenly a third user popped up.

Iris: Flyboy has entered the chat.

Flyboy: Hey, I caught someone!

MattPeru: You're up early.

Flyboy: You're up late.

MagNolie: Either way, none of us should be up.

MattPeru: Good point.

Flyboy: How goes it at home?

MagNolie: I'm in Kansas.

MattPeru: They're looking for Jesse James' gold.

Flyboy: Treasure hunting…sounds fun.

MattPeru: More fun than I'm having. It is HOT here…and humid.

MagNolie: You're in a rainforest. What did you expect?

MattPeru: I'm gonna ignore that…

MattPeru: How's life at Spagdahlem?

Flyboy: It's okay. I had leave last weekend.

MagNolie: What did you do?

Flyboy: I met up with Claudia.

MattPeru: Is she the German girl you were telling us about?

MagNolie: She works near base, doesn't she?

Flyboy: Right, and right.

MagNolie: Say hi to her for me or something. I'm going to bed.

Flyboy: But I just logged on.

MagNolie: Talk to Matt. I have to be in a cave early in the morning.

Flyboy: Cave?

MagNolie: Local legend says that's where the loot was hidden.

MattPeru: If you see Jesse James, say hi for me.

MagNolie: Yeah, I'll do that.

And if I'm nice enough, maybe he'll point me to the gold.

Flyboy: Goodnight, Maggie.

MagNolie: Night.

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…...

The house was awake before the sun. Breakfast was on the table as the first rays broke over the horizon. The meal was a quiet affair, everyone being not quite awake. Dr. Malloy sat reading a newspaper out of Kansas City, oblivious to everything around him.

"Hey," he said suddenly, "There was an armored truck robbery two nights ago in Kansas City. The thieves got away with something more than a hundred grand. Police have no leads. Looks like they got clean away."

"What's so unique about that?" Anne asked with a yawn.

"It's a modern stagecoach robbery. Seems it was a gang that did it, too. It's right up my alley," Dr. Malloy explained.

"Don't tell me you think the Jameses and Youngers have come back to life," Anne moaned.

"Of course not," Dr. Malloy assured, "but the similarities are fascinating." The rest of breakfast was spent in silence.

The van and pick-up were all ready to go out to the site. All they had to do was climb in and go. Dr. Malloy was glad to see everything was as they had left it the evening before. He was tired of local busy-bodies poking around the site when he had an expedition in progress. He didn't have the funding to set up trivial things like barriers and security perimeters.

"So, who's going where?" Jonny asked as they finished setting up and testing their operations base.

"Hadji, you play lifeline," Race said. "I think we should let Maggie and Jessie handle the crawlspace. They're smallest, and they'll fit through the opening." Hadji stepped over to the van and started pulling out the headsets while Jessie and Maggie gave each other a high-five. "Jonny, you come with me again. We're going to cross that bottomless pit."

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…...

Race slipped, losing his footing on the damp stone of the sloping surface, but caught himself before he slid into the gaping abyss only two feet from him. He and Jonny exchanged an anxious glance before Race righted himself and continued around the hole. With Race safely on the other side they both sighed with relief.

"Okay," Race said looking over at Jonny. "You ready to cross?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Jonny replied.

"Watch yourself," Race cautioned. Jonny checked his safety line, then started the tedious process of skirting the gaping hole along it's sloping edges. It was nerve wracking to dangle above a black hole with depths unknown.

"What do you think made the hole?" Jonny asked, trying not to think of how high he might be.

"Water," Race replied.

"Yeah, well, I figured that," Jonny returned. "I meant, what do you think made it so wide, and so smooth on the sides."

"My guess is the water that dissolved the rock that forms these caves made that hole at the same time. As for the smooth sides…calcite deposits from running water."

"Dr. Malloy was telling Hadji there hasn't been water in this cave for centuries. I don't believe it. Footing is slick, like the rock is wet."

"Watch it," Race said as Jonny's foot slipped. Jonny caught himself without losing his center of balance. "Dr. Malloy also said this chamber hasn't been mapped, or explored," Race reminded. "Besides, it's damp down here. It could be wet just from condensation." Jonny reached the far side without further mishap.

"Hey, Hadj," he said, tapping the call button on his headset.

"Yes, my friend?" Hadji answered.

"We're on the far side of the hole," Jonny told him. "We're going into the room through the opening here."

"I will inform Dr. Malloy. He will be mapping your movements as you explore the cavern beyond," Hadji said.

"Copy," Race said. "We'll let you know if we find anything."

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…...

The girls crawled out of the long, low tunnel short of breath. They stood up in the cavern at the end. Jessie stretched after being cramped in the tiny passage, and Maggie massaged her knees.

"Hadji made it through that?" Maggie asked in disbelief. "I can't believe it. That was pretty tight."

"I know," Jessie agreed with a nod. "How's your knee?" Jessie was referring to the injury Maggie sustained in a snowmobile accident that past winter.

"It's good," Maggie replied, "A little stiff, but it'll loosen up with use."

"Good. Just don't push it." Jessie readjusted her headlamp and headset, then called in to Hadji. "We're through the tunnel," she reported. "Maggie and I are going to pick up where you and I left off yesterday."

"Copy," Hadji acknowledged. "Out."

"Lead the way," Maggie said, then stepped back to allow Jessie to go first. Jessie ducked through an opening to another room. Round reflectors glinted in their lamplight at approximately ten foot intervals, marking where Jessie and Hadji had already been. They found an opening that hadn't yet been explored on this expedition. Jessie crouched low and ducked through the low opening and Maggie did the same a moment later. They stood in the small room beyond and made a careful survey of the area. Jessie made circles around the room, while Maggie poked around in the deep recesses near the entrance. Jessie was careful to study the entire room circling one way, and then the other. On her third circuit, her attention was drawn to something.

Jessie had nearly missed seeing it. It wasn't flashy, and it didn't stick out. A shadow made by her head lamp struck her as odd. It appeared as a perfect corner, a 90 degree angle, which rarely occurred in nature. She leaned in closer. Illuminated in the bright light of her headlamp was an old, musty book.

"Hey Maggie, look at this!" she exclaimed. Maggie turned and looked.

"Hadji, Jess found something," Maggie said into her comm link as she clambered over some rocks to get to Jessie. "What is it?"

"It's a book!" Jessie exclaimed.

"Hadji, are you getting this?" Maggie asked.

"I read you loudly and clearly," Hadji said. "What kind of book is it?"

"I can't tell. The cover is half rotted," Jessie answered. Jessie carefully lifted the cover, trying to separate it from it's pages.

"Careful, Jess," Maggie cautioned.

"Do not try and force it, Jessie," Hadji's voice came over the headset.

"I won't," Jessie replied. "This is no use. It's too damp. The pages are sticking together."

"Dr. Malloy suggests you return with it to the surface," Hadji said. "It can dry out overnight. For now, continue searching."

"Copy," Jessie said.

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…...

"I think we're on the wrong track," Race said. Everyone was topside, gathered around the folding table covered in maps. "I'm havin' a hard time believing the James Younger gang would have gone so far into the cave. They wouldn't drag a heavy strongbox for hours over rough terrain."

"I will have to agree," Hadji put in. "The outlaws would only have had candles to light their path, or perhaps a lantern. Whichever they used, it would only be able to burn for a short length of time. They would have become lost in the dark had their light source gone out."

"I see your point," Dr. Malloy noted. "Being on the run, they wouldn't have spared too much time to hide their loot." He started to skim the maps, calculating distances and timeframes within the cave system. "How far do you figure they'd have gone in?" Dr. Malloy asked. "A mile? A half mile?"

"I don't think distance is so much a factor," Dr. Quest said, his mind processing everything that had been said. "Time seems to be the issue, not distance. The question is, how much time would they have spent looking for a suitable hiding place?"

"I'd say less than an hour," Jonny volunteered. "Their horses would have been standing out here in the open. They wouldn't want to be seen after robbing a train, so they wouldn't have been down in the cave very long."

"Good thinking, Jonny," Race said, then turned to Dr. Malloy. "Jonny and I were able to get to this point in well under an hour." Race indicated a large cavern on the map. "When we took this route," he traced the path with a finger, "we managed to get about this far before an hour was up." Dr. Malloy took a compass and used it to draw an arc that stretched from the north to the west on the main map.

"The James Younger Gang's loot should be located somewhere within this arc." Dr. Malloy said. "Provided our logic is correct."

"We couldn't possibly get that far in an hour," Jessie said, carefully examining the west branch. "It takes a half hour to squeeze through the tunnel alone." Dr. Malloy took his compass once again and marked off a better estimation of an hour's travel through the west branch.

"This is the cavern with that pit," Race said, looking at the map and pointing to a place well within the arc. "I doubt they would have tried to cross it with a strong-box."

"True," Dr. Malloy said. He thought a moment. "There is a blocked tunnel here," he said indicating a second spot on the map. "Perhaps we should think about clearing that. It caved in about fifty years ago, and it's possible the loot is hidden behind it." Race nodded.

"That gives us a good, reasonable area to search," Race agreed.

"Okay, let's pack up and head to the farm," Dr. Quest said. "The race starts in two hours. We'll have to hurry to have lunch, get ready, and get to town." The maps were quickly gathered from the folding table. The sign was placed at the cave entrance. Equipment was gathered up, and everything was loaded into the pickup and into the van. When everything was taken care of, they drove off toward the farm.

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…...

Maggie quickly finished lacing Jessie into a corset. She was already laced into another. Anne stood ready with a petticoat for each of them, and she had their chosen dresses lying out on one of the beds.

"Can you breathe okay?" Maggie asked.

"It's not that bad," Jessie replied. She stood in front of the gilt mirror and tugged at the old-fashioned garment until it fit more comfortably. "That'll do." Anne handed her the white muslin petticoat.

"I'll have to change sometime between the race and the dance," Anne said. "You'll help me, won't you?"

"Of course," Maggie said from inside the skirt of her white and blue gingham dress. "We'll be glad to. Now if I could just get some help with these buttons…" She'd managed to get her head and arms through the right openings. Anne laughed and started with the tiny buttons on the back of the dress.

"I can't believe people are this authentic," Jessie said, buttoning the side button of the petticoat. "Maggie, that dress is perfect on you. And your hair! How did you get those ringlet curls?" Maggie laughed.

"Creative tricks," Maggie said. "I'll do the same for you, if you want."

"Go for it," Jessie said as she started pulling on her own green gingham dress.

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…...

"Let's go!" Race called up the stairs. Jonny dropped down on the edge of the bed and started pulling on the shiny black boots he'd gotten from the attic storage space.

"Would you like assistance, my friend?" Hadji asked as he slipped his black cowboy hat into place.

"Nah," Jonny said, tucking his pant leg into the boot. "Just grab my hat and my vest on your way out." He grabbed for his other boot. "I can finish my costume on the way." Hadji laughed. They headed down the stairs from the attic together. When the reached the hall, the girls were coming out of Jessie and Maggie's room. Jonny gave a long, low whistle. "Will you look at that, Hadj?" he said. "They clean up pretty good." Maggie laughed, tugging on a pristine white glove.

"I'd say you look handsome, but it looks like you need a little help," she told him. Jonny shrugged as he started down the stairs to the main level of the farmhouse. They followed after him and trooped out the front door.

"Let me see all of you," Mary asked as they came down the steps of the veranda. The girls turned a circle for their audience, and Hadji gave a short bow. "Very nice," Mary said. "Anne, sweetie, you look like a winner in that riding skirt." Anne blushed as she straightened her brown skirt and smoothed out her black suede vest. She was careful not to get her shiny black boots dusty as she walked over to the old farm wagon hitched to two horses. She swung an old satchel into the box, then stepped around the back and took the reins of her chestnut mare from one of the farm hands.

Jonny pulled a black vest over his bright blue shirt, then proceeded to trip down the veranda's steps while trying to button it. Hadji laughed as he followed after his blonde brother. Dr. Quest, dressed in a suit with an old fashioned string tie, escorted Mary to the wagon, then helped her up to the bench seat as she tried to manage the full skirts of her pink ensemble. Race, sporting a red shirt under a buckskin jacket, stepped up to his daughter and held out an arm.

"Ponchita," he said with a smile. Jessie took his arm, and let her father escort her to the wagon and lift her up into the back.

"Shall we go to town?" Mary asked as her brother helped Maggie up into the wagon, then climbed up to sit next to her on the board stretched across the wagon box. Jonny and Hadji sat on the open gate, hanging their feet over the edge. Dr. Quest climbed up to sit beside Mary, and Race found a space on the board bench next to Jessie. "Git up." With a lurch, the wagon started forward, Anne and a string of three horses followed behind.

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…...

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To be continued…

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	3. The Wild West Lives

Disclaimer: Please see chapter one.

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Warnings: Overall Rating of PG.

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A Note From the Author: Again, it's been a long time between posts. Life is a lot different than when I was in college. That, and The Sims2 came out in September and I've been _**extremely**_ addicted to it. I've always been an avid player, and Sims2 is fantastic, especially on my souped-up new laptop I bought myself for Christmas! Here's chapter three of _Outlaws_. ~Sapphire

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The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest

Outlaws

By: Sapphire

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Chapter Three: The Wild West Lives

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…...

"What a crowd," Jessie said, standing in the wagon, holding her father's shoulder to steady herself as she scanned the town. "And they're all in costume, just as Anne said." She shot a glance at Jonny. "Aren't you glad you 'played dress up' after all?" she asked sweetly.

"Stuff it," Jonny retorted. Jessie laughed. Marry Wallace drove right up the main street of town to the Village Common on the other end. She stopped the wagon next to a hitching post on the edge of the Common. Setting the wagon's break, she looped the reins over a bar meant to keep them from falling under the horses' feet.

"Everybody out!" she said, and they started to unload.

"Anne, let me help you," Hadji said politely, helping her down from her saddle.

"Thank you," she said with a dazzling smile for the handsome youth. Hadji smiled back and they went to hitch the horses to the rail in front of the wagon. Race lifted Jessie and Maggie out of the wagon while Dr. Quest helped Mary from the front seat. Maggie wandered over to Anne, Hadji, and the saddled horses.

"Why four saddled horses?" she asked curiously. "You only need one to race." Anne laughed.

"I'm racing my horse, June," Anne explained. "The others are for show, mostly. We figure they might attract some business at the same time."

"Business?" Hadji asked.

"Malloy Farms used to be a big business," Anne told them. "Great Grandfather used to have more than fifty horses on the farm at one time. He bred horses, as well as sold and traded. The problem was, most of the animals were bred for hard work, and as farming families died out or moved away, business went down the tubes."

"I suppose technology didn't help much, either," Maggie added.

"That too," Anne agreed. "Mom wants to put Malloy Farms back in business, only this time, she wants to stock thoroughbreds and good riding horses. It's an expensive venture, though."

"Undoubtedly," Hadji agreed.

"Fireball, here," Anne said, patting a tall horse with a bright, shiny red coat, "he isn't a thoroughbred, he's a mustang, but he's strong and fast, has a good lineage, and is desirable to breeders as a stud. Mom won't sell him for anything, but she's not opposed to, er, renting him out." Maggie and Hadji laughed.

"So that's what you meant by attracting business," Maggie smiled. She reached up and gave Fireball's nose a pat. "You're one handsome stallion, aren't you?"

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…...

Riders were lined up at the starting line. Maggie and Jessie waved to Anne while they waited for things to get under way. There were twenty-three people racing in the main race. They'd already watched the kids race, and the buggy race. Both had been exciting, but this was the race everyone had come out to see. The Malloy horses were keyed up, feeling the excited tension of the crowd. Maggie stood with Fireball, stroking his nose and neck, speaking soothing words. Even with her calming effect, the stallion was still antsy. Mary watched her carefully, a little wary she was so close to the nervous stallion.

"The starter is taking his place," Dr. Malloy announced, his excitement evident. Maggie and Mary were instantly riveted on the starting line. The sound of the gun sent a ripple of cheers through the crowd, and the racers took off toward the outskirts of town.

The excited murmur of the crown suddenly changed to panic as a woman's shriek diverted the crowd's attention from the race. The Quest's and Malloy's turned to see what the commotion was. A sleek brown mare ran full speed through the Common, headed straight for the woods on the other side of the Common Green. On the mare's back was a small child, clinging to her mane for dear life.

"Someone stop that horse!" someone in the crowd shouted. "She's running straight for the ravine!" Maggie jumped into action. Without a second thought, she pulled the rope from the hitching post and swung up into Fireball's saddle. She kicked the stallion into a dead run, chasing after the runaway, ignoring the shouts of Race, Mary, and her uncle.

Maggie couldn't help but marvel at Fireball's speed and agility as they jumped the fence surrounding most of the Green and raced toward the woods where the mare and the boy were just disappearing. Maggie and Fireball reached the woods only seconds later, slipping between the trees. Maggie could see the runaway mare right ahead, crashing through the undergrowth. It was nothing to catch up to her. Easing Fireball up alongside the mare, Maggie reached out a hand and caught hold of the mare's loose reins. She pulled on them, then pulled harder. She had to let go to avoid some trees, then reached out and grabbed the mare's bridle and pulled hard, finally slowing the mare and bringing her to a stop. Not a moment too soon. A deep ravine, lined with all manner of rocks and debris, was only a few yards away. Maggie looked to the terrified little boy still clutching onto the mare.

"Come here," Maggie said, reaching for the boy who couldn't be more than six or seven in her estimation. "You're safe now." He grabbed onto her and she pulled him onto Fireball, sitting him in front of her. He clung to her as she tied the mare's lead to the saddle horn of her own saddle. She hugged the boy, smoothing his rust red hair in a calming manner. "Shhh," she told him, "You're safe now. I've got you."

The little boy looked up at her through tear-filled green eyes. He pushed his messy rust colored hair from his freckled face as he carefully studied her. He didn't say anything, the frightened look on his face slowly melting away. Maggie smiled as he ducked his face back into her shoulder, clinging to her as she started Fireball back toward the Common Green.

"Maggie, is he okay?" Race shouted as soon as she rode out of the trees. He was coming at her at a dead run, half the town following after him. A man with a worried expression on his face, and rusty red hair was right behind him. His eyes were glued to the little boy clinging tightly to her waist.

"Everything is fine," Maggie called to them. She reined Fireball to a stop as Race and the strange man reached them. "He's okay."

"Davy!" the man exclaimed. The little boy looked up, then reached out to the man. "Davy, are you okay?"

"I'm okay, Dad," Davy said, "The nice lady saved me."

"She sure did, Davy," the man said hugging his son tight as he pulled him down off Fireball's back. "Let's go see your mom. She's worried sick about you." The man carried the boy off into the crowd.

"You nearly gave Benton a heart attack," Race scolded Maggie once Davy and his father were out of earshot. "You shouldn't have raced off like that. You could have been seriously hurt."

"But if I hadn't, that little boy…Davy, could have been killed," Maggie argued. Race sighed. She was right. She swung her leg over Fireball's back, and Race helped her down. They started back toward the other side of the Common green, townspeople staring after Maggie as they went.

"Oh, thank you," a woman holding Davy said as Maggie and Race neared the Malloy wagon. "You saved my son's life." Maggie blushed. "I don't know what I'd have done if…" The woman started to cry all over again, hugging little Davy so tight Maggie wondered if he could breathe.

"What can we ever do to thank you?" the man, Davy's father, asked. He took Maggie's hand and started shaking it profusely.

"Your appreciation is enough," Maggie said modestly. "It was the least I could do." Davy's father shook Maggie's hand again, then took his family and their horse back where they had been before the frightening incident had started.

"That was a brave thing you did. I'm proud of you," Dr. Quest said, giving his niece a hug, "but don't ever scare me like that again. That was something I usually expect from Jonny, not you." Maggie laughed.

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…...

Anne came in second in the race. She was beaming when her family and friends found her to congratulate her. It was her moment to shine, and she sparkled.

"I didn't expect to win, not when I heard Jared Hadley was entered. He's a rodeo rider, the best I've ever seen. But to come in second, behind him…that's something to be proud of." Mary gave her daughter a congratulatory hug.

As the excited crowd began to dissipate, Jessie and Maggie took Anne, whisking her off to find a place for her to change clothes. An award ceremony, a celebration feast, and a dance were just a few scheduled events planned for that evening. Having placed in the race, Anne would be one of the guests of honor. They all would have gone anyway, but it was all the more fun because of her success.

Anne and the girls bumped into the local minister who let them into the church so Anne could change. He waited outside while Anne was laced into a corset and dressed in her new lavender dress. Maggie had curled her hair before leaving the farm, and pinned it back to protect it for the race. She let it loose and arranged the short strawberry blond curls while Jessie buttoned the dress. After packing the riding costume into the recently emptied satchel, they hurried out of the church so the minister could lock it back up.

When they arrived back at the Common green, they were met with a spectacular sight. A large yellow and white gazebo lit with strings of white lights had a band playing on it. To one side was a huge wooden dance floor that had been assembled from pre-constructed parts. Opposite the dance floor were long tables set with enormous amounts of food provided by the citizens of Holder Spring. Judging by the amounts of food weighing heavily on the tables, it would be no trouble feeding the entire town. Littered all around were picnic tables where people were already enjoying the delicious homemade dishes available. More lights were strung around the whole area, paper lanterns hanging over them glowing in bright colors.

"We need something like this back in Rockport," Jessie said.

"Yeah," Maggie agreed in awe.

"Come on, let's go get something to eat," Anne said. Maggie, and Jessie followed her to the buffet tables where they found Race, Mary, Dr. Quest, and Dr. Malloy just leaving with loaded plates.

After Holder Spring feasted, the Mayor called all the day's winners forward to the gazebo to receive their prizes. Everyone who claimed a prize received an excited cheer from the onlookers. Afterward, the band started up again, and the dance floor was opened to eager couples. Maggie was headed for some fresh-squeezed lemonade when someone grabbed hold of her hand. She looked down to find the rusty haired Davy looking up at her.

"Hello, Davy," Maggie greeted him with a smile.

"Are you Maggie?" Davy asked. "I heard that man call you Maggie." Maggie nodded.

"My name is Maggie Hardy," she said. "How on earth did you find me among all these people?"

"Oh, I saw you from over there," Davy said pointing generally behind himself. "Can I ask you something?" Maggie nodded. "I told my brother Jared about you. He's a rodeo rider. He said because you rescued me, it was my 'sponsibility to ask you for a dance 'cause girls like that stuff and feel bad if no one asks 'em." Maggie smiled, amused at his effort to be a gentleman.

"What a very nice thing for you to do," Maggie said. "I would love to dance with you." Davy took her hand and led her out into the very middle of the dance floor. Davy tugged on her hand. Maggie looked down. "Yes?"

"I forgot to tell you. I don't know how to dance with a girl," Davy confided. "I only asked 'cause Jared said to."

"That's okay," Maggie said with a smile. "I can show you how. It's easy." She instructed him to put his right hand on her waist while she put her left hand on his shoulder. Then she had him hold her right hand with his left. "Now you just step back and fourth in time to the music." After a few awkward starts, they were dancing in a simple three step pattern.

"This _is_ easy," Davy said after a few minutes. "I don't know why my dad always says it's hard." Maggie laughed.

"Some people seem to have two left feet," she said.

"How can someone have two left feet?" Davy asked earnestly. Maggie laughed again.

"No one really has two left feet. It's just an expression that means they get all mixed up and can't keep their feet in the right places," she explained.

"Oh," Davy said, contemplating that.

"Hey Davy, who's your pretty friend?" a young man asked, weaving through the throng of dancers toward them. Maggie noticed a shock of thick hair the exact same rust color as Davy's, and matching green eyes as well.

"This is Maggie Hardy," Davy said. "She's the one that stopped Brownie from running away."

"Hi," Maggie said, dropping her handhold with Davy to hold out a hand to the youth. "You must be Davy's brother. He's told me a bit about you." Jared smiled.

"What tipped you off, the hair?" Maggie smiled and Jared laughed. "I'm Jared Hadley. Nice to meet you, Maggie." He shook her outstretched hand. Jared turned to Davy. "I've come to relieve you of your post, cowboy. Mom's looking for you."

"Okay," Davy said. "I'll be back later, Maggie." He ran off without another word.

"Would you mind giving me a dance?" Jared asked, holding out a hand to Maggie. She laughed and accepted the invitation.

"You're brother's a great kid," Maggie said as she danced with Jared Hadley. "And he absolutely adores you." Jared chuckled.

"Yeah, he does," Jared said. "You sound like you know all about little brothers."

"I have a twin brother," Maggie said. "I don't see him much, though. He's in Peru right now."

"Peru? South America?" Jared asked in surprise.

"That's the one," Maggie laughed. "He's a humanitarian. He's working on improving the living conditions in a mountain city called El Paco. It's a long way from Maine, that's for sure."

"You're one of the people staying at the Malloy farm," Jared said. "I heard they were from out east, Maine."

"That's right. My uncle, Dr. Benton Quest, is an old friend of Rueben Malloy's. The whole family came out to help Dr. Malloy with a project over at Buffalo Cave."

"Ah, he's looking for Jesse James' gold again, is he?" Jared inquired with a knowing smile. "Should've known he wouldn't give it up. He's been looking for that loot since he was Davy's age."

"If it's there to be found, then we'll find it this time," Maggie said. "You don't know my family. They can do anything."

"Judging by the way you saved my brother's life today, I wouldn't doubt it," Jared said.

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…...

Among the crowd gathered at the edge of the dance floor was a dark, thin man of medium height. Seeming to blend in with the shadows of the night, he went unnoticed by many of the townspeople. He was carefully monitoring the conversations of the people around him, and overheard Jared and Maggie as they danced past him. His narrow eyes glinted at the mention of the hidden loot. How ironic, he thought, that he would overhear a conversation about the very legend he would help enact as the legendary Jesse James.

He casually made his way through the crowd to join another lone man standing among the crowd. As Maggie and Jared came round again, he made a small, unintelligible motion with his gloved hand in their direction.

"See that girl?" he said quietly. The second man nodded, his eyes following the couple. "She's one of the people working with Malloy." The second man nodded again, then stepped up onto the dance floor making his way toward Maggie and Jared.

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…...

"Excuse me," a tall man with brown hair said, tapping Jared on the shoulder. "Mind if I dance with the lady a bit?" Jared shook his head and let the stranger take over. "Ma'am," he said by way of greeting Maggie. Jared waved as the stranger whirled her off amid the other dancers. "Mind if I ask your name?" the stranger said to her.

"It's Maggie Hardy," she answered him. "What's yours?"

"Frank James, at your service." Maggie's eyes lit up. "Yep, that's me," Frank said with a laugh, guessing what she was thinking. "Just remember, in the grand tradition of this festival, you aren't supposed to know I'm going to rob the train tomorrow." He winked, and Maggie laughed.

"Okay, then. Your secret's safe with me," Maggie replied merrily. "Hey," she said, a mischievous smile crossing her lips as she recalled the late night chat session she'd had with her twin the night before. "Can you do me a favor?" Frank shrugged.

"Depends," he said.

"Can you say hi to Jesse James for me? My brother back home will get a kick out of that." Frank laughed.

"So you're not from around here," Frank said. "Where are you stayin'?"

"Oh, I'm a guest out at the Malloy farm," Maggie told him.

"You mean Rueben Malloy's place?" Maggie nodded. "Say, you aren't here to find that legendary loot, are ya?" Frank laughed. "I heard some rumor he was going to try and find it again. He hasn't actually found it this time, has he?"

"We haven't found anything, no," Maggie said. "We just started looking yesterday." Frank James laughed.

"Malloy started looking fifty years ago, I swear." He whirled Maggie toward the middle of the floor. "Lots of other people have looked, too. I don't think it's even there, but Malloy's been looking since he was a kid. He's convinced it's down in that cave somewhere. His 'expeditions' are local legends in themselves."

"Well, this time he has a team of experienced treasure hunters to help him. My uncle, Benton Quest, specializes in the impossible and extraordinary," Maggie defended. She didn't like the way Frank James talked about Dr. Malloy. He may seem a bit eccentric, but he was a renowned historian, and he knew what he was doing.

"Benton Quest? You mean _Dr._ Benton Quest?" Frank asked. Maggie nodded.

"Whoo-hee!" Frank exclaimed. "I guess I underestimated Malloy's latest undertaking. He's downright serious this time." Maggie was satisfied that he sounded more respectful now. Before anything else could be said, Hadji interrupted their dance and asked to cut in on Frank James. "Sure," Frank said. "Hey, Maggie, are you going to be there tomorrow for the train robbery?"

"Of course," she said.

"Good, maybe I'll see you then. And I'll be sure to say howdy to Jesse for that brother of yours." With a wave, Frank disappeared into the crowd.

"What made you leave Anne to come dance with me?" Maggie asked as Hadji swung her into the waltz that was playing.

"It seemed to me you were not entirely enjoying that man's company," Hadji said.

"You were right," Maggie replied. "He was kind of rude, talking the way he did about Dr. Malloy. Do you know who he is? He's playing Frank James tomorrow in the train robbery enactment."

"Is he really?" Hadji said thoughtfully. "Jessie said she danced with Cole Younger earlier this evening. Anne said the actors do not attend the festivities as their characters. She thinks it is a new twist to this year's events."

"Hmm, that is something to think about," Maggie said. "Oh well. He may have been a little rude, but it was kind of exciting dancing with a famous outlaw."

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To be continued…

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	4. Davy's Invitation

Disclaimer: Please see chapter one.

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Warnings: Overall Rating of PG.

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A Note From the Author: So, here is the second chapter of this post. Just two, as usual. There are two chapters left for Outlaws, so I'll leave them both for the next post. Until then. ~Sapphire

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The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest

Outlaws

By: Sapphire

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Chapter Four: Davy's Invitation

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MagNolie: Hey Matt, guess who I danced with…

MattPeru: I dunno. Who?

MagNolie: Frank James. He's going to say hi to Jesse for you.

MattPeru: What!?

Flyboy: Good one, Maggie.

MagNolie: No joke. I really did.

MattPeru: There's gotta be a catch…he's been dead for a century.

MagNolie: Okay, so there is.

He was the actor hired to play Frank for the enactment.

Flyboy: That was still good, Maggie. You had him going there…

MattPeru: Now that you've had your fun, I'm going to bed. Long day.

MagNolie: Goodnight.

Iris: MattPeru has logged off.

Flyboy: Did you find anything in the cave today?

MagNolie: No, and we didn't expect to.

Hotshot: She found a boyfriend, though.

MagNolie: Jonny! Have you been eavesdropping this whole time?

Flyboy: Boyfriend?

Hotshot: Yeah, she saved his little brother's life.

Now he's forever in Maggie's debt…

MagNolie: Not funny, Jonny.

Flyboy: Oh, really…?

Hotshot: They danced for hours.

MagNolie: He's not my boyfriend.

Hotshot: Well, maybe not yet, but there were sparks flying…

Flyboy: Jonny? Maggie? Where did you go?

MagNolie: It's Jessie. Maggie went to strangle Jonny.

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By eight o'clock the next morning, two teams were down in the cave. After becoming familiar with Buffalo Cave to some extent, they had come up with a satisfactory search method. They would begin with the north branch and it's winding passages, tunnels, and caverns, keeping in mind the one-hour arc Dr. Malloy had penciled in on his maps the previous day. If they weren't successful, they would move to the west branch. If that turned up nothing, they would go back to the drawing board and start again.

The book Jessie and Maggie had turned up the day before had dried out overnight; they had been disappointed to find it was an old Spelunking manual printed in 1927. The find did them no good in the search for the outlaws' loot. The morning's search was started in hopes of finding something much more promising. Jonny was heading up communications while Hadji and Jessie explored the fore chambers of the north branch, and Race and Maggie explored deeper.

"Dr. Malloy," Jonny called abruptly. "Race found something interesting." Both Dr. Malloy and Dr. Quest looked up in interest. The teams had only been down just over fifteen minutes, and already they had found something.

"What is it?" Dr. Malloy asked excitedly.

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"I wonder how we missed it before," Race said as pointed his headlamp at the ceiling above him. He and Maggie were standing in a low cavern visited before. On the map, it was the fourth room beyond the entrance cavern. This was the room where the cavern system in the north branched into three sections.

"It's an arrow," Maggie said into the comm headset. "Race guesses it was made with a candle flame's black residue on the rock of the ceiling. There's wax drippings right under it, too."

"Where does it point?" Jonny asked.

"Looks like it points to the middle tunnel," Race said.

"Follow it and look for more arrows. Dr. Malloy says there's no way to tell how old the candle mark is without the proper testing equipment, but it might have been left by the James Younger Gang if it's old enough," Jonny instructed.

"Will do," Race replied. He played his light along the ceiling of the cave as he and Maggie started in the direction the arrow pointed.

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"This is strange," Jessie said as she and Hadji examined every nook and cranny of the fore chambers in the north branch. Along the wall on the floor of the second cavern was a pile of rubble. Looking up, it appeared part of the ceiling had fallen, taking a chunk of the wall with it. Certainly there was nothing unusual about a cave in, but at the back of the pile, the wall depressed as if the cavern extended in that direction.

"Perhaps we should move some of the rock," Hadji suggested. "Perhaps we will find nothing, and perhaps we will find something." Jessie nodded, and climbed up the pile of rubble partway until she could reach the top. Then she started lifting boulders, handing them down to Hadji who piled them out of the way. They worked steadily for some time before they could get a better idea of what, if anything, lay behind the rubble.

"Hadji, I think it's an opening to another cavern," Jessie said excitedly. Hadji climbed up beside Jessie to take a look. As the wall depressed behind the lowered pile of rubble, they could see it turn sharply into a wall.

"Let us keep digging," Hadji said. "If you are correct, this could be an important find."

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"Jonny," Race called over the comm link. "We're at a dead end." He and Maggie waited patiently for Jonny to answer.

"You were right," Maggie said to Race. "It is a bottomless pit." She leaned over carefully and looked down into the black depths of the hole. Shuddering, she backed away.

"There was only that one arrow, and it led us to the hole," Race reported. There was a moment of static.

"Dead end," Jonny said with a sigh. "No point in crossing the pit. The Jameses and Youngers wouldn't have. You'll have to go back and start searching another passage."

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…...

Jessie and Hadji exchanged an excited look. There _was_ an opening beyond the pile of fallen rock. Working together they had managed to pull away enough debris for them to crawl through to the chamber beyond. Once through, they played their lights all around the room. They split up and started poking around the cavern's perimeter, noting a passage leading off it on the far end. After a few passes, Hadji stopped, his light trained on the wall.

"Did you find something?" Jessie asked. Hadji nodded, waving her over. Jessie crossed the cave to take a look.

"Jonny," Jessie said into the headset, exchanging a wary glance with Hadji, "I think we found something."

"You don't sound excited," Jonny answered.

"This is serious," Jessie replied.

"It appears we have found traces of blood," Hadji said.

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…...

"What did he say?" Dr. Quest exclaimed, looking up at Jonny.

"Blood," Jonny replied. Dr. Malloy was busy studying the 3D map on the screen in the back of the van.

"They're off the main caverns. According to my map, they're embedded in solid rock," Dr. Malloy said, shaking his head. "Explain that to me."

"Hadji," Jonny relayed. "Where the heck are you and Jess? You're kinda off the map."

"We found a hidden opening in the second cavern. "We are currently standing in the newly discovered cave."

"That explains that," Jonny said.

"It doesn't," Dr. Malloy countered. "I've been over that room countless times…"

"Jonny," Dr. Quest said, bemused by his old friend's consternation. "See if they can get a sample of the blood. We might be able to date it." Jonny nodded.

"Hadj," he said into the comm headset. "Can you get a sample of the blood?"

"I can give it a try, my friend," Hadji replied.

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…...

"Can we even get a good sample," Jessie asked dubiously, looking down at the dark stain.

"We will not know until we try," Hadji replied. He stood on his knees beside the cavern wall, a sterile plastic baggie in one hand, sterile tweezers in the other. Jessie watched as he carefully scraped the wall, tiny flakes of rock and dried blood fluttering into the baggie. When he was done, he sealed the baggie and tucked it into a pocket of his gear vest.

"It could be from one of the Jameses or Youngers," Jessie speculated. "One of them may have been shot in the robbery." She got down on the ground a few feet from the blood stain and leaned against the wall. "It's about shoulder height from this position. The injured man could have stopped here to rest."

"Yes, but why here? Why on the floor?" Hadji questioned. "If I had been trying to hide a strongbox filled with gold, I would not have done so. I would have remained on my feet, and simply leaned against the wall, like so." Hadji demonstrated by letting his body rest against the curved rock of the cavern wall. "The blood stain would have been much higher."

"Unless you were shot in the leg," Jessie pointed out. "Look where the stain is…almost level with your knee. All you had to do is have a wound right here," she tapped his leg just above his knee.

"Very interesting," Hadji said. "We will have to keep an eye out for more stains. If the injured man stopped to rest often enough, the trail may lead us to the loot, providing it was, in fact, one of the Jameses or Youngers."

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…...

Neither team felt much like staying down in the cave longer when there were far more exciting things happening above ground. After packing up and closing the site, they headed back to the farm for showers and lunch. The hungry explorers devoured the home made soup and sandwiches before attending to the showers. Just over an hour later they were all ready to go to town, costumes on and excitement high. This was the day of the train robbery.

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…...

The Malloy farm wagon rolled into Holder Spring just after two in the afternoon. Fireball and June were hitched to the back of the wagon, undoubtedly to advertise Malloy Farms again. There were people everywhere, most of them slowly making their way to the far end of town where the train tracks ran past the Village Common. As they passed by the old depot, they could see an authentic steam engine, boxcar, and two passenger cars waiting at the platform.

"This town really does go all out," Jessie commented.

"You said it," Jonny replied.

"Hey Maggie!" Young Davy Hadley came tearing up the old boardwalk toward their traffic stopped wagon. "Guess what?! I get to ride on the train!"

"You do? How exciting!" Maggie replied, leaning down from the wagon. Jared wasn't far behind his little brother. "I didn't know people could ride it."

"Yep, you can, during the train robbery and everything," Davy assured her.

"There's a drawing held to get a seat on the train. You have to sign up in two's. Problem is, Davy put his name in with mine," Jared explained. "I'm playing with the sheriff's posse."

"Can you come on the train?" Davy asked excitedly.

"I don't know," Maggie told Davy. "Maybe you should ask your mom or dad."

"They don't want to," Davy said. "They said I could ask you."

"I'd love to, then," Maggie agreed. Davy grinned from ear to ear as Jared lifted Maggie down from the wagon.

"You have to get to the platform now. They start in a half hour," he said, leading her and his brother toward the depot. Maggie waved excitedly to her friends as she an the Hadley brothers melted into the crowd.

"She's coming on the train. She's coming on the train," Davy bounced along chanting excitedly. Maggie and Jared laughed.

"Here, I'll get both of you settled on the train," Jared said, leading them up onto the platform.

"Jared, I see you found someone to take your seat," a distinguished gentleman dressed as a conductor said.

"Foley," Jared greeted. "I sure did. This is Maggie Hardy. She stopped Davy's runaway horse yesterday."

"Did she now?" Foley asked, looking at Maggie appreciatively. "It's a pleasure to have you aboard, Ma'am." He tipped his hat to her as Jared dug the train tickets from his vest pocket.

"Climb on board," Foley said, taking the tickets. "Jared, in old west style, you're welcome to see them to their seats." Jared nodded, then helped Maggie up the steps into the passenger car, Davy trotting along behind. There were people moving about the car finding seats for the exciting ride. Davy and Jared knew many of them by name.

"Let's sit here," Davy decided, climbing onto a seat in the middle of the car. He went to the window and tried to open it. "It's stuck," he said. Jared leaned over from the aisle and pushed it up, latching it so it wouldn't fall when the train started. Then he moved aside and allowed Maggie to take a seat.

"There you go," Jared said. "I'll see you when the train gets back." He tipped his hat to Maggie before leaving.

"I'll wave to you," Davy called after him. Jared gave a last wave before ducking through the door and stepping back down onto the platform and melting back into the crowd.

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…...

By the time the Quests and Malloys finally made their way to the section of tracks where the train robbery would take place, there were people crowded all along it. Ropes were set up on either side of the tracks to give the actors ample room to perform, and so the spectators would not be injured during the show. It seemed the enactment would be more like a stage production than a reenactment.

The crowds were so thick, there wasn't any place left to stand and watch. The Malloys and Quests decided to drive the wagon up along the tracks a ways where they would have a good view of the getaway.

"Sorry about that," Mary apologized. "This event has just gotten so big these last few years. It used to be easy to get a spot to watch."

"It's no problem, Mary," Dr. Quest assured their hostess. "This will be just as exciting."

"Yes, don't forget," Dr. Malloy reminded his sister, "The sheriff catches them right about here."

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…...

"Here we go!" Davy shouted as the train lurched, starting forward from the platform. Maggie leaned forward to look out the window as the train lurched again. This time the whistle blew as the engine chugged, slowly pulling out of the depot. In a minute, the train was underway, traveling at an ambling pace as it approached the lines of spectators waiting at the Common.

"Everybody freeze!" Maggie and Davy turned to look as a masked man came through the door at the back of their compartment, holding a gun that looked quite authentic. He shot into the air and a hush fell over the passengers. Maggie expected he was shooting blanks, but by the terrified looks on some people's faces, she didn't think so. "Just stay put and nobody gets hurt." He started forward along the center aisle.

Maggie looked out the window again. The train was picking up speed as it came to the crowds along the tracks. She knew instantly that something was wrong. The train should be stopping, not going faster.

"Look!" Davy whispered urgently, pointing to the back of the car. Maggie turned and saw Frank James, bandana over his face, coming along the aisle.

"Jesse," he said to the first outlaw, "They know something's going on." Frank motioned his gun toward a window. Jesse looked out.

"Come on. We have to hurry. Cole's waiting in the engine." Frank hurried up the aisle after his brother. Suddenly he stopped.

"Well, what do we have here." Maggie looked up nervously at Frank James. "Look, Jesse, it's our lucky day. Miss Hardy's on the train." Jesse stopped and turned.

"Bring her," Jesse said. "And the kid." His eyes narrowed at Davy in a glare before he turned and hurried from the passenger car to the box car ahead of them. Frank motioned to Maggie and Davy with his gun.

"Woo-hoo!" Davy cheered, not noticing the look Jesse James had given him. "We're getting held up, Maggie."

"Do what Frank James tells you, Davy," Maggie said urgently, rising from her seat. "This isn't pretend anymore. This is very real." Davy looked up at her and sobered immediately. He grabbed her hand and hurried ahead of her as Frank directed them to the next car of the train. Maggie grabbed him the second they stepped inside. She held him to her, hiding his face, so he wouldn't have to see the bloody horror that had greeted her eyes.

"Is he dead?" she asked, looking at the victim, a man costumed as a US Marshall was lying motionless in a pool of blood. Jesse James was standing next to him, opening the prop strongbox the James Younger Gang was supposed to steal.

"Not yet," Jesse said coolly.

"Why? It's just a prop. There is no money…" To her shock, when he lifted the lid, stacks of neat modern bills were piled inside.

"The paper," Maggie breathed suddenly. "The armored car robbery from the paper." She looked between Frank and Jesse. "That was you, wasn't it." She looked back at the strongbox. "That isn't all of it," she said. "The paper reported more than a hundred thousand being stolen. That can't be more than twenty or thirty thousand dollars."

"Shut up," Jesse snarled. "Shut up and get in that corner." Frank pulled on her arm, pushing her into the corner of the boxcar on her right. She sat on the floor against the two walls, holding Davy protectively, still shielding him from the sight of the US Marshall.

"You stay quiet," Frank advised. "Keep the kid out of our hair." Maggie nodded, not wanting to do anything to jeopardize either herself or Davy. "Why the kid?" Frank asked, turning to Jesse.

"He's an insurance policy," Jesse said, "to make sure she cooperates."

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…...

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To be continued…

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	5. From Legend to Life

Disclaimer: Please see chapter one.

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Warnings: Overall Rating of PG.

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A Note From the Author: It's been so long… Well, it's neither here nor there why I've been absent from the fan fiction scene for so many months. Just know I haven't abandoned any of my writing projects. My muse seems to be on an extended vacation... **_sigh_** ~Sapphire

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The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest

Outlaws

By: Sapphire

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Chapter Five: From Legend to Life

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…...

"What's going on?" Anne wondered as the train sped passed them. Mary shook her head, and Race stared after the train, his eyes narrowed.

"I don't like this," Race said. He stood up in the wagon box and looked back toward the depot. Costumed riders were coming tearing along the tracks, chasing after the train. They flew past at top speed, all except the last man. It was Jared Hadley.

"I've got a lame horse," he said, jumping down from the saddle. He looked up at Mary. "Something went wrong, and we've got to catch that train."

"Take Fireball," Mary said. Jonny jumped down from the wagon and untied the stallion. Jared ran forward and swung easily into the saddle. Jessie caught the reins to Jared's lame horse and pulled the gelding to the wagon. Jared nodded, kicking Fireball into a run.

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…...

Jared caught up with the posse as the train came into view. It was stopped straight ahead on the tracks. Some of the passengers were standing around outside the train, others were hanging out the window, trying to see what was going on. The boxcar doors were open, and there was hurried and tense activity going on inside.

"Sheriff Tomlin!" someone shouted. "There's been a shooting!" The sheriff raced forward and dismounted quickly beside the boxcar. He climbed up quickly to inspect what was going on. "It's Lester Howell." The posse hung around, uncertain what to do next. Everyone else was unharmed, though some were quite shaken at the experience. Jared rode alongside the passenger cars, looking up at the windows for his little brother and Maggie.

"Jared Hadley!" a woman called. Jared looked up. Jared didn't know her name, but she was one of the teachers at the Holder Spring Elementary School. "Jared! They took Davy and the woman who was with him from the passenger car."

"Who did?" Jared asked, alarmed.

"Frank and Jesse James," the teacher replied. Jared didn't stay to find out any more. He kicked Fireball into a gallop and circled the back of the train to find the sheriff.

"Sheriff Tomlin," someone was saying, "Lester said something about money before he passed out. Said there was money in the strongbox."

"There wasn't any money in the strongbox," Sheriff Tomlin said.

"They rode off with the strongbox. There had to be somethin' in it," another onlooker said.

"Which way did they ride?" Sheriff Tomlin asked. "They can't get far on horseback, not if I send some patrol cars after them." Several people pointed to the east. "Why'd they go that way? There ain't nothin' out there for miles, except range land."

No, that wasn't all that lay out there, Jared realized. Buffalo Cave was out that way. The same cave the real outlaw gang was said to have gone with the loot after robbing the train out of Holder Spring. He turned Fireball east, galloping over the grassy plain.

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…...

A rider came full speed from the direction the train had gone. The Quests and Malloys watched in curiosity along with the rest of the crowd, awaiting an explanation for the bizarre turn of events. As he neared the crowd of confused spectators, he shouted out an alarm.

"Lester Howell's been shot!" he announced. The crowd gasped in horror. "Sheriff wants all on and off duty police and deputies on the road looking for those outlaws. They're armed, considered dangerous, and headed east." More than a dozen men and women separated from the crowd, running or riding toward main street where the small police station was located. "Radio the state patrol! And don't forget to send an ambulance!" the rider shouted after them.

"I don't like this," Race said, fidgeting with June's lead rope. "I'm going to see what's happening." He turned to Anne. "Mind if I borrow June?" Anne shook her head and Race mounted the sure-footed mare. Just then, Mr. and Mrs. Hadley, Davy's parents, found them in the crowd.

"Would you mind giving us a ride out there?" Mr. Hadley asked," If you're going that way? We're worried about Davy. He was on the train." Mary and Rueben looked at each other and nodded.

"Sure thing, Ben," Mary said. "You and Jean hop in." Ben Hadley lifted his wife into the wagon as Mary released the brake and took up the reins.

"We'll be along soon," Dr. Quest told Race as the ex-I One agent rode off toward the stopped train.

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…...

Maggie looked ahead in surprise. Sitting in front of Frank James, riding double, she watched as the entrance of Buffalo Cave came into view. There was no mistaking the pulley system over the cave's entrance, the "Do Not Enter" sign posted in front of it. She wondered what they were doing there. The horses stopped several feet from the cave and the James Younger Gang dismounted. Davy stood terrified, looking up at Jesse James. Frank led Maggie by the arm toward the pulley system.

"Why are we here?" Maggie asked. She hadn't said a thing since Jesse had told her to shut up. Now she wanted answers. "We haven't found the lost gold, if that's what you're after." Jesse laughed.

"Hell with that. It's just a story the locals made up."

"Then why are we here?" Maggie asked.

"Because Bob Younger over there had himself one hell of a good idea, and then made one hell of a stupid mistake. That, and we might need a hostage or two," Jesse didn't elaborate, and Maggie didn't press her luck asking more questions. Cole Younger pulled a harness for the pulley system from his saddle bag and joined Jesse at the cave's entrance. Jesse grabbed Maggie and handed her the harness. "Get in," he said. Maggie did as she was told, struggling with putting the harness on over her dress. Once she was buckled in, Cole swung her over the hole in the ground and lowered her a few feet. "Send the kid down, too," Jesse ordered. "We ain't got all day." He shoved Davy toward Maggie.

"You don't expect him to go down with me?" Maggie asked incredulously. That kind of stunt was dangerous. If Davy were to slip, he could fall to his death. "What if he falls?"

"Then you better hold on to him real tight," Jesse said firmly. Staring at Jesse wide eyed, Maggie reached out for Davy. The outlaw was deadly serious.

"Hold on to me good, Davy," Maggie said. "I won't let you fall." Davy grabbed onto her, wrapping his legs around her middle, and his arms around her neck. Frank handed Maggie an old lantern lit with a candle. Jesse glared, but said nothing.

"Wait for us at the bottom," Frank said. "Don't try anything. Just do what you're told." Maggie nodded as she was lowered into the cave. She wouldn't dare run into the depths of the cave, not with Davy and a candle that would last a few hours at most. People had been known to go stark raving mad in the total darkness of caves after being lost with no light.

Once she and Davy had descended the thirty feet to the cavern floor, she let Davy down and quickly got out of the harness. Keeping Davy with her, she found a place to sit and wait for the others. Frank came down, followed by Bob Younger. Cole, Jim, and Jesse stayed topside.

"Why are we down here?" Maggie felt it safe enough to ask questions now that they were out of Jesse's hearing range. He seemed to be the one in charge, and he was never happy when his motives or actions were questioned.

"We need you to get something we dropped," Frank said, taking her arm and pulling her along behind him. Bob took Davy by the collar of his shirt, leading the way with the powerful beam of a flashlight. They headed down through the series of chambers that headed the north branch of the cave system until they came to the room where it branched into three passages. "Where's the mark, Bob?" Frank asked. Bob played his light on the ceiling until the beam found the blackened arrow on the ceiling of the cave.

"Right there," Bob said. "We go straight that way."

"You put that there?" Maggie asked. Bob nodded with a grunt. "Recently, like in the past two days?" Again Bob nodded. "No wonder Race and Jonny didn't find it that first morning." She fell silent as they passed through the low tunnel and through the next room. They stopped when they came to the bottomless pit. Maggie looked at it dubiously. "Why are we stopped here?" she asked. Neither Bob nor Frank answered her as Bob handed Davy to Frank. Bob backed away from the hole, then with careful precision, he took a running start and jumped over the five-foot gap that made the black abyss. He landed safely on the other side with room to spare.

Bob ducked into the opening on the other side and disappeared for a few minutes. Frank stood waiting patiently, his hand on Davy's collar, his gun trained on Maggie. When Bob appeared, led by a high powered flashlight, he was carrying a good sized load. Maggie strained to get a good look at his burden, and was not surprised to see "Federal Treasury" stamped on the outside of the otherwise non-descript bags he carried.

"The rest of the money," Maggie breathed. Bob gave her a silencing glare, then set his load down. Frank holstered his gun, shoving Davy at Maggie, then got ready to catch the first bag Bob was going to throw across the hole to him. Maggie counted as each one came over. One…two…three…four…five…six…seven. As the last was caught by Frank, Bob took a few steps back and took a running leap back over the abyss. There wasn't as much room on the other side to get a good running start, and Bob barely cleared the hole. Frank reached out and grabbed his shirt front as he teetered on the edge of the abyss. Safe on the near side, Bob looked down the hole, shining his flashlight into it.

"Can't see the bottom," he grumbled. "How deep is the hole?" Bob barked at Maggie.

"I don't know," she said.

"You're one of them people working for that fool treasure hunter, aren't you?" he asked. Maggie nodded. "Then you should know how deep this goes. You've seen the maps."

"The hole isn't marked on our maps. We have no idea how deep it goes," Maggie said nervously. "Why do you even care, anyway? Are you going to put us down there?" She shuddered at the thought.

"That would be the stupid mistake Jesse mentioned," Frank told her. "Bob dropped one of the bags down there." He pointed to the hole. "Not sure how deep it is, but we heard it thump to a stop." Frank turned to Bob. "Jesse said not to get it if it was going to take a long time. Let's just leave the last bag. We've got more 'n enough dough." Maggie gasped as Davy pulled away from her. He grabbed two of the treasury bags and dropped them down the hole with the look of sheer spite on his face. The three adults watched in shock until they heard the double thump as the bags hit bottom. Before Maggie could catch him, Bob Younger grabbed Davy by the collar and held him over the pit.

"Damned kid," he hissed at Davy. Bob turned to Maggie. "You're going down there. You go down and get that money, or I send the kid after it…without a rope." Maggie swallowed hard, watching Davy glance terrified between Bob and Frank, and then pleadingly at her. "We gotta get it now," Bob told Frank. "There's more 'n thirty grand down there, now."

"I'll go, I'll go," Maggie said nervously. "Just put Davy down safely." Bob swung Davy around and dropped him on solid ground at his feet. Davy scrambled away, curling up in a ball at the juncture where the cave wall and floor met. He looked like a frightened kitten sitting there like that.

"We'll lower you with the rope," Frank said. Maggie looked longingly at Davy, wanting to go over and hug him, reassure him. "We'll keep the boy up here safe with us until you bring it up." Maggie nodded, knowing Frank would not break his word on that. Bob pulled out the rope. Maggie guessed it was about forty feet long. She swallowed hard again, trying to fight her fear when Bob tied a loop in the end of the rope. She realized he expected her to go down the hole with a rope archaically tied around her chest with only her arms stopping her from slipping through.

"You're joking." Maggie shook her head.

"Nope," Bob told her, handing her the end of the rope. "It's your neck, not mine." Davy looked at Maggie and whimpered.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Don't worry. It'll be fine," she told him as she pulled the looped rope over her head and secured it under her arms. Frank found a rock to secure the other end of the rope to. At least she wouldn't fall too far if she fell.

"You ready yet?" Bob asked, growing impatient.

"I don't trust you," she told him, taking the candle lit lantern he handed her for light. "Let me tell you this. If you aren't careful with me, I won't be careful with those bags. I go down, I get the bags, and you pull me up. I keep the bags until I'm back up here safely. There's no way I'm letting you leave me down in that pit." She looked at Frank. "Then you all go and leave us unharmed." Frank gave an imperceptive nod, but it was enough.

"Agreed," Frank said. He gave Bob a cold look. "You stick to that," he told him. "She's not going to go back on the agreement. We've got the kid, remember." Bob said nothing for a long time, then finally gave a nod of agreement. Maggie stepped to the edge of the pit and carefully started over the edge as Frank and Bob lowered her by the rope.

"Maggie…" Davy whimpered.

"It's okay," Maggie said as she sank below the edge of the hole. "I'll be back soon."

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…...

"How could they take Davy?" Mrs. Hadley cried. "Why didn't anyone try and stop them?" Ben Hadley held his wife comfortingly.

"Jane," he said. "They had loaded guns. There was nothing anyone could have done." Dr. Quest watched them with sympathy. He knew a bit of what they were feeling.

"They're doing everything they can to find him," Dr. Quest said.

"We know," Ben said. "This is just hard, especially after the scare yesterday afternoon." Dr. Quest nodded.

"Where's Jared?" Jane suddenly asked. "Wasn't he supposed to be with the posse during the enactment?"

"His horse went lame and he stopped at our wagon. I lent him Fireball," Mary said. "We haven't seen him since." The Hadleys, Quests, and Malloys looked at each other curiously.

"Hey Doc," Race rode up on Anne's horse, June. "I've been asking questions. "Seems the outlaws headed east after the train stopped. Someone said they had a man and horses waiting out here. A lone rider tore after them once the posse caught up with the train. Someone thought it might be Jared."

"What?" Jane said incredulously. "He couldn't possibly find them. Even if he could find a trail, people have been riding out here all week. There's so many tracks going in so many directions, it would be impossible."

"Maybe he knows something I couldn't find out," Race said with a shrug. "I found out something else, too," Race continued. "Seems the outlaws didn't take Maggie and Davy at random. Folks from the train say the outlaws knew Maggie by name."

"Maggie danced with Frank James," Hadji remembered. Anne gasped. Everyone turned to look at her.

"Davy knew Jesse James, or at least, Jesse knew Davy." The others just looked at her questioningly. "You know how Davy runs on about Jared," she said, "Well he was running on about Maggie last night. He mentioned the search going on out at Buffalo Cave, and was saying how you all were going to find the gold. Everyone was laughing it off, like they usually do about the hidden loot. Everyone, except Jesse. He was listening in rapt attention."

"You don't think they took Maggie because of the lost gold?" Jonny said. "That's crazy. If that's what he wanted, he'd have kidnapped one of us _after_ we found it."

"I don't know why they took Maggie and Davy, but Jesse James found something awfully interesting about what Davy was saying. That's for sure," Anne said.

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…...

"Lookie what I found," Jim Younger chortled as he sauntered up to Jesse and Cole, gun in one hand, a man in the other. "Seems I caught me a spy."

"It's the kid's brother," Jesse said. "Well, well." Jim pushed Jared into the dirt at Jesse's feet.

"What do we do with him?" Jim wondered.

"Was he alone?" Jesse demanded.

"Yeah," Jim replied. "I made sure there wasn't anyone else. Just him. Then I jumped him. His horse took off like a scared rabbit." Jesse smirked at Jared.

"We'll send him down into the cave when Bob and Frank come up. He can't hurt us down there." Jesse turned away from Jared and Jim. "Cole, you tie him up and baby-sit our unexpected guest."

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…...

Maggie was careful to hold the lantern just right for fear it's precious flame would go out. It was hard, hanging there with the rope cutting into her under her arms, who knew how high off the ground…if there was a ground. She tried to use her feet to walk down the side of the hole, but her old fashioned heeled boots kept slipping on the rock wall.

"How deep am I?" Maggie called up.

"About twenty-five feet," Frank called down, "give or take." Maggie peered down below her into the darkness, hoping to see something of a bottom to the hole. There was nothing, and she continued to descend steadily.

"How deep am I now?" Maggie asked again after a few minutes.

"A little more than thirty feet," Frank called. "We're almost out of rope." Maggie swallowed hard, not wanting to think about what would happen if they ran out of rope and she hadn't hit bottom yet. Then she saw something. It wasn't much, but it seemed like shadowy shapes below her. She watched carefully as she was lowered further, and suddenly the bottom appeared.

"I'm almost there!" she called up. "I can see the money bags!"

"About time," Bob could be heard from above. As Maggie approached the bottom, she realized it wasn't the bottom at all. It was a shelf in the shaft, and there was a gaping crevice between the shelf, and another shelf on the other side. What she saw on the other side took her breath away. It was rusty, but there was an old green strongbox, "Wells Fargo Co." lettered clearly on the side, bits of an old, rotting rope around it. She had found the James Younger Gang's real loot of gold.

"Stop!" Maggie suddenly called. Her descent was sharply halted. She didn't want to put any weight on the shelf. She didn't know how much support it had, nor did she know how much weight it could take.

"What's going on?" Frank called down.

"The money bags are resting on a shelf," Maggie explained. "I'm afraid if I step on it, it'll collapse under me." She looked around and weighed her options. She formed a skeleton of a plan in her mind. "Hold on tight, I'm going to try something and I'll swing a little."

"Okay," Frank called down. Then, with all the strength and agility she possessed, she twisted around in the rope and managed to get her feet above her head, her back resting in the loop of the rope. This freed her hands so she could get the money bags, as well as giving her poor underarms a break from the biting rope.

"Lower me very slowly," she called up. The lantern in one hand, her other outstretched toward the bags, she slowly descended until she could grasp a bag. "Stop," she called. Her descent halted. Carefully, she collected each bag and used their closures to attach them to the rope holding her. Once they were secure, she picked the lantern back up and readied herself for the ascent. "Okay, got them. Pull me up." With a jolt, she started upward. After she was several feet off the shelf, she had them stop so she could right herself in the rope's loop. Starting again, she used her feet to help propel herself upward, despite the slippery shoes.

After ages, she finally reached the top. Bob took the lantern from her, miraculously still lit, then held the rope while Frank pulled her out of the hole to safety. As soon as she was far enough away from the hole, and had Davy safely in hand, she slipped the loop of the rope down over her hips and let it drop to the floor, pulled by the weight of the three money bags. She let Bob and Frank take the rope and bags from her.

"Now what?" she asked. Frank looked at her.

"Nothing," he said. "You can follow us back to the entrance." Maggie picked up the old lantern and led Davy through the cave's passages. Davy held Maggie tight around the waist, shaking slightly from the chill air. Maggie wasn't cold, not after her stint in the pit, but they had been down there a long time, and Davy wasn't dressed for such cool temperatures.

The harness was waiting for them, hanging from the entrance. Bob went up first, carrying all the money with him. The pulley above kicked in again as it was lowered to retrieve Frank. As the line came down, Maggie realized someone was in the harness.

"Jared!" Davy shouted, running to meet his brother. Jared reached out a hand and grabbed Davy's as he reached the ground. The pulley stopped.

"Out," Frank said, waving his gun at Jared. Jared remained silent, glaring at Frank James, as he let himself out of the harness. "Over there, by the wall," he instructed. Jared reluctantly moved in the direction the gun indicated. "You, too," he said to Maggie. Maggie wasted no time in moving. Davy trotted after them, hiding behind them. Frank hooked himself into the harness and gave the signal to be pulled up. As he went, he dug into a pocket. "Here," he said, looking at Maggie. "I wasn't supposed to, but you played it smart." He threw a box at Maggie, then tipped his hat as he disappeared above them. The three people down in the cave listened with heavy hearts as the pulley stopped, and remained stopped. They could hear voices above them, sharp angry voices, as the men above argued. "Leave them…" she caught a fragment of Frank's words. She couldn't make out anything else, but after a few more moments of heated words, she could hear horses, and then silence. The outlaws were gone, and she and the Hadley brothers were stuck.

"Are you okay?" Jared asked Davy, dropping to one knee to look the little boy over carefully. Davy nodded.

"I was scared," Davy said with a tremble. "They were going to throw me in a deep hole." Jared looked up at Maggie.

"They used him to make me go down into a deep hole and fetch a bag of money they dropped in there." Her eyes lit up with excitement. "Guess what I found down there?"

"What?" Jared asked, confused.

"I found Jesse James' gold!"

"What?" Jared exclaimed.

"Across from the money bag was a strongbox. It said 'Wells Fargo Co.' on the side, and it was old." Maggie walked over and retrieved the box Frank had thrown to her. "Candles," she said, looking up at the opening high above them with a thankful nod. "I knew I could trust him. He made sure Bob didn't really hurt Davy and me. Frank made sure Jesse didn't hurt any of us." Jared picked up the lantern.

"How do you know?" Jared asked, coming to stand beside her.

"That's what they were arguing about. Jesse said he wanted to keep us in case they needed a hostage. Frank made them leave us here." Jared shrugged. There was no way to know for sure.

"We better light a new one now before this one goes out," he said. "It's practically done for." Maggie nodded and handed him a candle out of the box.

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To be continued…

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	6. The Treasure of Jesse James

Disclaimer: Please see chapter one.

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Warnings: Overall Rating of PG.

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A Note From the Author: And I present….ta da!…the end! The end of "Outlaws" anyway. As you will see at the end of the chapter, this is not the end for my little characters, no. Their next adventure pits Jessie and Maggie against Mother Nature herself in "Continental Divide." ~Sapphire

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The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest

Outlaws

By: Sapphire

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Chapter Six: The Treasure of Jesse James

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"Hey, that looks like Fireball," Anne called as they drove the pickup and Quest van toward Buffalo Cave. When they realized Buffalo Cave lay east of the stopped train, the very direction the outlaws had run, they had been half way back to the farm. The Hadleys had been with them, at Sheriff Tomlin's request. The sheriff had wanted them all in one place so it would be easier to get a hold of them when Maggie and Davy were found. They had quickly unloaded the wagon, handing it and the team over to Howard, the hired hand, and piled into the van and pickup.

"But where's Jared?" Jonny asked as the two vehicles stopped. Anne and Hadji jumped down from the back of the pickup to retrieve the horse. Hadji scanned the surrounding vicinity, turning a circle near the horse, but saw nothing else of consequence.

"I do not see anyone," Hadji called to those in the van.

"Hadji," Race called from the driver seat of the Quest van. "You and Anne ride Fireball to the cave. Keep an eye out for Jared. He could have been thrown. We'll go on ahead." Hadji called an affirmative, and the pick-up and van moved on.

Jessie and Jonny stood holding tight to the gun rack on the top of the pick-up's cab as they sped toward the cave. From their vantage point, they could see a good distance ahead. Both kept their eyes trained on the horizon ahead.

"What's that?" Jonny yelled to Jessie over the wind.

"Looks like dust," Jessie replied.

"From horses?"

"Maybe," Jessie shrugged. "There's the mouth of the cave." The van and pick-up rolled to a stop. Jonny jumped down to look around.

"There are hoof prints all over the place," Jonny said. "And cowboy boot tracks all around the entrance."

"They were here all right," Race said, joining Jonny.

"It's a good bet that dust was kicked up by the horses then," Jessie said. Jonny and Race carefully scanned the ground as they circled the area.

"Looks like they came from the west, and left going north," Race said. Jonny and Jessie exchanged a glance.

"That was the horses we saw," Jonny said. Jessie nodded.

"What do you suppose they wanted here?" Dr. Quest asked, walking toward the cave's entrance, Mary and Dr. Malloy close behind him. "And who left the harness attached to the pulley?" Race looked up.

"We didn't leave a harness," Race said. "I double checked before we left for lunch. We had everything."

"Hey!" They froze. "Hey, we're down here!" Jonny and Jessie made a bee line for the cave's opening. They dropped to the ground, their heads hanging over the edge.

"Maggie?" Jonny called. "Is that you?"

"Jonny!" she called back up. "Yeah! Jared and Davy are down here, too." Jane Hadley nearly went into hysterics when she heard the reply. It was all her husband could do to keep her from hurling herself down the hole to get to her sons.

"Is everyone all right down there?" Jessie called down.

"Fine. But I want to get Davy up there right away. He's been down here a long time, and it's cold." Jessie and Jonny got up from the ground and went to work. Jessie checked the harness to make sure it was rigged properly, and Jonny threw the switch, activating the pulley system at her say-so.

"Davy!" The moment the little boy appeared through the cave opening, Jane Hadley had him in her arms. For the second time in two days, Davy didn't object to the coddling. He was cold, and scared, and wanted his mom.

"Ready for the harness again?" Jonny called down the hole, as soon as Davy was removed from it.

"No, you come down. Bring Race, lights, and the back-up pulley," Maggie replied. Jonny and Jessie looked at each other quizzically.

"What for?" Jonny asked.

"I found it!" Maggie shouted. "I found the treasure!" At once the Quest team was in action. The back of the van was opened up, the table and maps were set out, equipment was pulled from the back of the van and pick-up for use.

Jessie pulled off her dress and petticoats, stripping to her old fashioned underwear. Then she unhooked the old shoes and pulled them off. She grabbed a set of coveralls from the van and stepped into them.

"What in Sam Hill are you doing?" Race asked when he saw his daughter getting undressed.

"I can't go down in a dress," she replied. Race laughed.

"I guess not, Ponchita." During the flurry, Hadji and Anne rode up, riding double on Fireball.

"What is going on here?" Hadji asked.

"We found Maggie, Davy, and Jared," Jonny said, quickly filling Hadji in. "The outlaws left them in the cave. And guess what? Maggie found the gold!" Hadji stared back in amazement.

"I am hearing it, but I am not believing it," he said. After his momentary shock, he and Anne dismounted, joining in the excitement.

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Maggie accepted the communications headset Jessie handed her down in the cave's first cavern. She put it on, securing it tightly, then took a battery powered flashlight to replace the spluttering lantern they'd previously been using.

"So where is it?" Race asked, allowing Maggie to lead the way. "How'd you find it?"

"That arrow you found yesterday," Maggie began, "Frank James admitted he and Bob Younger put it there. The actors, not the real ones, of course."

"I thought it was funny we didn't see it the first day," Race said.

"That's because they made it that night after we went back to the farm," Maggie explained. "That explains why I found the wax drippings. If the mark had been made by the real James Younger Gang, the drippings wouldn't still have been there."

"Are you getting this, Benton?" Race asked into the headset.

"Loudly and clearly," Hadji's voice answered. He was playing lifeline for the impromptu expedition.

"The James Younger Gang was responsible for that armored car robbery Dr. Malloy read about in the paper. I found that out on the train when I saw money inside the prop strongbox. There was only about twenty thousand there, and I remembered Dr. Malloy telling Anne over a hundred grand had been taken."

"They hid the money down here in the cave," Jessie surmised, following along as she walked behind Jonny and her father.

"Right," Maggie said. "We'd have found it this morning if Race and I had gone across the pit. And I suspect, if Jessie and Hadji had kept going after they found the blood stain, they'd have found it, too."

"How can that be?" Jonny asked. "They weren't anywhere near the pit, they were up near the entrance of the caves."

"Dr. Malloy says it makes perfect sense," Hadji cut in. "He's looking at the maps and says it is possible the new cave we found connects up with that tunnel. Putting Jonny and Race's movements from the first day together with Jessie's and mine from this morning, it appears the two cave branches meet, making a circle."

"That's what I think," Maggie said. "When Bob and Frank hid the money from the armored car robbery, they dropped a sack down the pit. They heard it hit bottom. They weren't going to waste the time going down to get it, but Davy threw two more bags in just to spite them. They made me go down on the end of a rope and bring it all up. We came in from this side of the hole. When I was down there, I found the money resting on a shelf. There was a second shelf opposite it, and a crevice in between. On the other shelf was the strongbox printed with 'Wells Fargo Co.' on the side."

"How does that tell you the cave makes a circle?" Jared asked. He was following close behind Jessie, completely caught up in the discovery.

"The real James gang would have used a simple rope to lower the box. If so, they had to lower it from the far side of the pit because the strongbox was resting on the shelf on the far side. They wouldn't have hauled the box over the hole and then sent it down. They had to have come from the back side. I remembered the new branch Jessie and Hadji found, and it made me wonder."

"Good thinking, Maggie," Hadji complimented.

"There's the pit," Jessie said, pointing ahead. And it was. Carefully the back-up pulley was set up over the hole. It was secured, and the ropes and safety harness put in place.

"How deep is it?" Race asked. Maggie thought a minute.

"According to Frank James' guesses, between thirty and forty feet." She looked down into the dark hole. "I wasn't sure about the stability of the shelf, so I didn't put any weight on it."

"Smart girl," Race said. "I'm glad one of you kids has some common sense." He looked between Jessie and Jonny. "Jess, you'll go down and secure the strongbox. Jonny, I want you to feed her the second line for the strongbox. Maggie, you and Jared just keep back." Jessie started cinching herself into the harness while Jonny and Race got to work rigging. Maggie stood back with Jared, watching with excitement as the strongbox was secured, and it and Jessie were hauled up out of the pit.

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"Here it comes," Dr. Quest announced as he oversaw the strongbox's return to the surface. He and Dr. Malloy secured it and pulled it away from the cave's opening. Hadji lowered the pulley cable, and the strongbox was set onto solid ground. It sat right there while the others were pulled out of the cave. Maggie came up first, having been down the longest. Dr. Quest was waiting for his niece, open arms ready for his half-sister's daughter. Maggie, dirty but no worse for wear, was only too glad to return his welcoming hug. "You're as cold as ice," he said, brushing dirt from her cold and clammy cheek.

"I'm fine," Maggie replied. Dr. Quest ignored her and took off his jacket, draping it over her shoulders. Davy found her, and held onto her hand as they watched Jared appear through the opening. Once released from the harness, Jared walked over to his little brother, messing his hair, then crouched down beside him to watch with the others. Jonny, Jessie, and finally Race come up out of the cave.

"Let's open her up," Jonny said, eyes agleam.

"Dr. Malloy, you open it," Maggie said. "It's your dream, and you deserve it." Dr. Malloy actually blushed as he stepped up to the box. Jessie finished pulling the rope lines away, and Dr. Malloy took a crowbar to the old lock. It was rusted and decayed, and the lock broke away with ease. Holding his breath, Dr. Malloy opened the cover of the strongbox. Surprised gasps responded to what they saw.

"It's a small fortune," Jane Hadley said in awe.

"A fortune, yes, but small, no." Dr. Malloy said. Inside were stacks of very old, and very fragile paper bills in several denominations. Beneath them were small sacks. Dr. Malloy opened a few, revealing gleaming gold coins in twenty and fifty dollar denominations. Buried beneath the bills and sacks of coins, Dr. Malloy unearthed three bricks made of solid gold with the US Treasury seal stamped in the top.

"Wells Fargo will sure be glad to get that back," Race said with a low whistle.

"I can't believe it," Dr. Malloy said, looking up at his family and friends. "It really did exist. I almost stopped believing…"

"But you never gave up," Mary said. "Not since you were a boy. Persistence and determination, Rueben. Persistence and determination make dreams happen. That's what mother said." Dr. Malloy just beamed, basking in the glow of success.

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Maggie left the bathroom after a hot shower and headed for the room she shared with Jessie. The men had taken the recovered gold into town to be placed under lock and key by the Sheriff until an armored car could be sent for it. Mary had insisted Maggie get a hot shower and fresh change of clothes. When she stepped into her room, Anne and Jessie were waiting for her with a surprise.

"You, Davy, Jared, and Dr. Malloy are being hailed heroes," Anne exclaimed. "The law caught up with those outlaws five miles north of the cave. It seems you kept them busy long enough that the sheriff was able to create a net of law enforcement around the whole east side of the county. If you hadn't kept them down in the cave so long, they'd have been long gone."

"The whole town's planning to celebrate tonight, in your honor, old west style." Jessie gave her friend a grin, and Maggie grinned back. "We went on a rummage in the attic and found you a new dress to wear, complete with fresh underclothes and shoes to match." Maggie took one look at the pale yellow and blue dress and fell in love.

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Mary and the girls' arrival in town was met with cheers. They were ushered right to the old, defunct jail where the treasure was being kept. The Hadleys and the boys were waiting for them there. A local photographer was there, clicking away. After the newspaper got the exclusive photos of the four heroes, the horse that was fast as lightning, and the legendary treasure, they left the jail to join the crowd outside. As they were swept up with a cheer toward the awaiting feast and celebration, Maggie saw the members of the new James Younger Gang as they were loaded into police cars to be taken to the county jail twenty miles away.

Frank James caught her eye and they stared at each other for a long moment. Maggie smiled, knowing he was the one who had saved them from becoming caught in the middle as hostages. Frank gave her one of his nearly imperceptible nods. Unless they were watching for it, no one else had seen it. Maggie smiled again, and then Frank was pushed into the waiting car. She knew she'd never see him again, but she was satisfied knowing he knew her gratitude.

"Maggie," Davy said, tugging on the sleeve of her dress. "Can I dance with you first?" Maggie looked down at him, pushing all thoughts of Frank James far from her mind. "Can I?"

"Sure," Maggie said, letting the little boy lead her toward the dance floor, still set up by the gazebo on the Common.

"I get a turn next," Jared spoke up as his little brother wove through the crowd. Maggie laughed as she heard the band start to play.

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MattPeru: So you actually found it?

Flyboy: You found Jesse James' gold?

MagNolie: Yes, I did.

Flyboy: And Frank James protected you from the rest of the gang?

MattPeru: I don't think I like outlaws going sweet on my sister…

MagNolie: It wasn't like that.

Hotshot: Frank James wasn't the only one sweet on Maggie…

MagNolie: Jonny! Get off this chat right now!

Flyboy: Oh, reeeeaaaalllllyyyy…

Hotshot: Jared Hadley danced with her almost all night at the party.

MagNolie: He did not.

Hotshot: The only person he let cut in was Davy, and Davy is seven.

MattPeru: Yep, he likes her.

He's not another outlaw, is he?

Hotshot: Nope, a rodeo rider. He won the horse race the other day.

MattPeru: What do you think, Jonny? Should I let her date him?

MagNolie: I'm not going to date Jared!

Hotshot: He was really polite when he escorted her to the train.

I think it would be okay.

MagNolie: Jonny, you're dead this time…

Hotshot: Gotta go, guys. Maggie's coming after me.

Iris: Hotshot has logged off.

Maggie ran up to the attic where Jonny and Hadji were sharing a room. The moment she opened the door and stormed in both of them looked up from the computer screen.

"You're both in on this!? How could you, Hadji? I expect this from Jonny, but not from you!" Hadji gave her an apologetic look, but Jonny grinned at her mischievously.

"You're so easy to tease," Jonny said. Maggie flew at him, grabbing a pillow off Hadji's bed as she went. "Ow!" Jonny yelped. She kept attacking until Jonny cried for mercy. With a satisfied sniff, Maggie unplugged the laptop and took it with her when she left. Back in her room, Jessie grinned at her sleepily.

"Did you get him?" she asked.

"You bet," Maggie replied.

"Goodnight, then," Jessie said with an amused, but sleepy, chuckle. Maggie stuffed Jonny's laptop under her bed and picked up her own, plopping down to finish her conversation. As she scanned the recent conversation text, she froze.

MattPeru: You've been hanging out with Claudia a lot.

Flyboy: I know. She's really great.

MattPeru: Come on, you can tell me. I'm your brother.

It's more than friendship, isn't it?

Flyboy: Yeah. I really like this girl.

MattPeru: I guessed as much.

Flyboy: I'm actually dating her.

MattPeru: When did this happen?

Flyboy: The last week or so.

MattPeru: So she's your girlfriend now, huh?

Flyboy: Yeah, she is. You should come out sometime.

Maggie didn't read anymore. She lay back against the pillow and just stared blankly at the wall. How did this happen? The question just kept echoing in her head over and over. Before she realized it, it was morning. She glanced at the laptop screen. Matthew and Price had logged off long ago. Maggie shut down the computer, set it on the floor by her bed, turned her face into the pillow, and willed sleep to come. When it did, she was haunted by dreams of Price and a faceless woman named Claudia.

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To be continued in "Continental Divide".

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